The Lonely Londoners by Sam Sevlon - ★★★☆☆
The Lonely Londoners by Trinidadian author Sam Selvon explores the experiences of a group of West Indian immigrants, who voyage from the Caribbean to England, with hopes of finding a new place to call home. However, the big (and very cold) city does not welcome them with the open arms they anticipated.
Following a sold-out run in February 2024 at the Jermyn Street Theatre, Roy Williams' adaptation now graces a larger stage at the Kiln Theatre.
Set in post-war London in the 1950s, Bayswater Road, to be exact, we meet the Lonely Londoners, a colourful tribe of six. At the heart of the group is Moses (Solomon Israel), who acts as part guide, part patriarchal figure, and part fixer. Sharing a cramped, but lively house, the crew includes; Big City (Gilbert Kyem Jnr), the resident hustler and entrepreneur, Galahad (Romario Simpson), the newest and greenest addition to the group, and Lewis (Tobi Bakare), who boasts of earning £5 a week to his family back home, despite his recent unemployment.
Lewis’s boasts of wealth soon lead to the arrival of his wife, Agnes (Shannon Hayes), and his mother, Tanty (Carol Moses), who complete the now six-person household, each with their own hopes, demons, and stories.
The play unfolds through a non-linear narrative on a minimalist stage, where six trunks serve as the central props, as the lives of the Londoners gradually unravel and take unexpected turns.
Big City, on account of his hustling spirit, takes to the streets to sell tickets to what we’d now refer to as a hall party. However, he is left discouraged after racist venue owners leave his event without a home. Galahad's brazen confidence and swagger are knocked as the city swallows him up, and Lewis turns to drink, struggling to cope with the presence of his family and the burden of unemployment.
Meanwhile, Moses serves as the glue of the group, steering the others back on course when they falter, resolving disputes and boosting morale. Yet, in his quieter moments, it is clear that Moses is fighting battles of his own. Haunted by the decision to leave his partner Christina (Aimée Powell) behind in the Caribbean, Moses is a man grappling with regret and loneliness.
Solomon Israel is a compelling and strong Moses, effortlessly holding the Lonely Londoners together. Costumes are well crafted and place us in the 1950s, and there are many hilarious and poignant moments as the show explores displacement, community, and hope, offering a sharp insight into the constant strive for acceptance and belonging in a city that invited the Lonely Londoners, but refuses to embrace them.
However, several artistic choices hinder the production's cohesiveness. The lighting and movement, rather than tying the show together, create a sense of disconnection, making it harder to pick up each character’s thread and weave their stories into a cohesive whole. The lighting that supports scene transitions feels unsophisticated—often overly bright and distracting—and the movement sequences, though fluid in execution, often feel shoehorned in, adding little.
While not the most unified production, Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners is a story that deserves its place on stage. It offers an evocative portrayal of resilience, displacement, community, and the search for belonging in a cold and often lonely city.
★★★☆☆
By Shore Delano
The Lonely Londoners is showing at Kiln Theatre until 22 February.